In the Middle (Natalia Barbu song)

Last updated

Etapa națională2024

Moldova's broadcaster for the Eurovision Song Contest, TeleRadio-Moldova (TRM), organized a 11-entry competition, Etapa națională2024, to select Moldova's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. The 11 entries were selected by juries during a 32-entry live audition round. In the grand final, the winner was selected by a 50/50 combination of televoting and juries. [9] [10]

"In the Middle" was officially announced as one of the 32 entries for the live audition round on 26 December 2023. [10] The song was able to move onto the grand final, finishing first out of all entries in the round. [11] [12] In the grand final that took place on 17 February, it drew a total of 22 points, tying with Valeria Pasha's "Anti-Princess". The tiebreaker was determined by jury scores, thus giving the victory to Barbu, winning her the rights to represent Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. [13]

After Barbu's victory, Pasha immediately filed an appeal, disputing the voting results. [14] Pasha declared that the rules of the contest were not transparent enough; according to her, the rules did not clarify how the tiebreaker would be determined by televoting or juries, with official rules stating that the tiebreaker would go to "the song receiving the most points". [9] TRM opted to let Barbu's victory stand, with Pasha being accused of having 950 invalid votes. [15]

At Eurovision

The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 took place at the Malmö Arena in Malmö, Sweden, and consisted of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 7 and 9 May and the final on 11 May 2024. During the allocation draw on 30 January 2024, Moldova was drawn to compete in the first semi-final, performing in the second half of the show. [16] Barbu competed with a revamped version of "In the Middle", as was included in the contest's official album. [17] Barbu was later drawn to perform 11th in the semi-final, ahead of Finland's Teemu Keisteri and before Azerbaijan's duo of Fahree and Ilkin Dovlatov. [18] For its Eurovision performance, Barbu performed alone, accommodated by a background filled with "seascapes, gardens, trees, flowers, and butterflies". [19] She failed to qualify for the final.

Release history

"In the Middle"
In the Middle (Natalia Barbu song).png
Single by Natalia Barbu
Released19 January 2024 (2024-01-19)
Length2:59
Label Ragoza
Songwriter(s)
  • Khris Richards
  • Natalia Barbu
Natalia Barbu singles chronology
"Regina Noptilor"
(2023)		"In the Middle"
(2024)
Eurovision Song Contest 2024 entry
Country
Artist(s)
Language
English
Finals performance
Semi-final result
13th
Semi-final points
20
Entry chronology
◄ "Soarele și Luna" (2023)
Release history and format for "In the Middle"
CountryDateFormat(s)LabelRef.
Various19 January 2024Ragoza Music [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest</span>

Moldova has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 19 times, debuting in 2005. The country's best result is a third-place finish for SunStroke Project in 2017, with their song "Hey Mamma".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natalia Barbu</span> Moldovan singer and songwriter

Natalia Barbu is a Moldovan singer and songwriter. She is best known for representing Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "Fight". She represented the country again in 2024 with the song "In the Middle".

Moldova participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "Fight" written by Alexandru Braşoveanu and Elena Buga. The song was performed by Natalia Barbu. The Moldovan broadcaster TeleRadio-Moldova (TRM) internally selected the Moldovan entry for the 2007 contest in Helsinki, Finland. 34 entries competed to represent Moldova in Helsinki though a process entitled Pentru Eurovision 2007, with three being shortlisted to participate in a live audition on 14 December 2006 where "Fight" performed by Natalia Barbu was selected by an expert jury.

Moldova participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song "Hora din Moldova" written by Veaceslav Daniliuc, Andrei Hadjiu, Nelly Ciobanu and Aristotelis Kalimeris. The song was performed by Nelly Ciobanu. The Moldovan broadcaster TeleRadio-Moldova (TRM) organised the national final O melodie pentru Europa 2009 in order to select the Moldovan entry for the 2009 contest in Moscow, Russia. 39 entries competed to represent Moldova in Moscow, with 20 being shortlisted to participate in the televised national final which took place on 14 February 2009. "Hora din Moldova" performed by Nelly Ciobanu emerged as the winner after gaining the most points following the combination of votes from a jury panel, a committee and a public televote.

Moldova participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "Lăutar" written by Pasha Parfeny and Alex Brașoveanu. The song was performed by Pasha Parfeny. The Moldovan broadcaster TeleRadio-Moldova (TRM) organised the national final O melodie pentru Europa 2012 in order to select the Moldovan entry for the 2012 contest in Baku, Azerbaijan. 85 entries competed to represent Moldova in Baku, with 21 being shortlisted to participate in the televised national final which took place on 11 March 2012 after auditioning in front of a jury panel. "Lăutar" performed by Pasha Parfeny emerged as the winner after gaining the most points following the combination of votes from a jury panel and a public televote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aliona Moon</span> Moldovan singer

Aliona Munteanu, better known as Aliona Moon, is a Moldovan singer. In 2012, she was a backing vocalist for Pasha Parfeny who represented Moldova at the Eurovision Song Contest 2012. Aliona was selected to represent her country in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö with the song "O Mie" composed by Pasha Parfeny. Aliona finished in fourth place in the first semi-final and 11th place in the Eurovision 2013 final. In 2014, she competed on The Voice of Romania where she finished in fourth place in the final.

Moldova participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "I Want Your Love" written by Erik Lewander, Hayley Aitken and Tom Andrews. The song was performed by Eduard Romanyuta. The Moldovan broadcaster TeleRadio-Moldova (TRM) organised the national final O melodie pentru Europa 2015 in order to select the Moldovan entry for the 2015 contest in Vienna, Austria. 68 entries competed to represent Moldova in Vienna, with 24 being shortlisted to participate in the televised national final after auditioning in front of a jury panel. After two semi-finals and a final which took place in February 2015, "I Want Your Love" performed by Eduard Romanyuta emerged as the winner after gaining the most points following the combination of votes from a jury panel and a public televote.

Moldova participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Falling Stars" written by Gabriel Alares, Sebastian Lestapier, Ellen Berg and Leonid Gutkin. The song was performed by Lidia Isac. The Moldovan broadcaster TeleRadio-Moldova (TRM) organised the national final O melodie pentru Europa 2016 in order to select the Moldovan entry for the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden. 47 entries competed to represent Moldova in Stockholm, with 24 being shortlisted to participate in the televised national final after auditioning in front of a jury panel. After two semi-finals and a final which took place in February 2016, "Falling Stars" performed by Lidia Isac emerged as the winner after gaining the most points following the combination of votes from a jury panel and a public televote.

Moldova participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Hey Mamma" written by Anton Ragoza, Sergei Ialovitski, Sergey Stepanov, Mihail Cebotarenco and Alina Galetskaya. The song was performed by the group SunStroke Project. The Moldovan broadcaster TeleRadio-Moldova (TRM) organised the national final O melodie pentru Europa 2017 in order to select the Moldovan entry for the 2016 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. 40 entries competed to represent Moldova in Kyiv, with 14 being shortlisted to participate in the televised national final after auditioning in front of a jury panel. After a semi-final and final which took place on 24 and 25 February 2017, "Hey Mamma" performed by SunStroke Project emerged as the winner after gaining the most points following the combination of votes from a jury panel and a public televote.

Moldova participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Stay" written by Georgios Kalpakidis, Thomas Reil, Jeppe Reil and Maria Broberg. The song was performed by Anna Odobescu. The Moldovan broadcaster TeleRadio-Moldova (TRM) organised the national final O melodie pentru Europa2019 in order to select the Moldovan entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. 28 entries competed to represent Moldova in Tel Aviv, with 10 being shortlisted to participate in the televised national final which took place on 2 March 2019 after auditioning in front of a jury panel. "Stay" performed by Anna Odobescu emerged as the winner after gaining the most points following the combination of votes from a jury panel and a public televote.

Moldova originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Prison" written by Dimitris Kontopoulos, Philipp Kirkorov and Sharon Vaughn. The song was performed by Natalia Gordienko. Songwriter Philipp Kirkorov represented Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995 with the song "Kolybelnaya dlya vulkana" where he placed seventeenth, while Natalia Gordienko had previously represented Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2006 together with Arsenium and Connect-R, placing twentieth with the song "Loca". The Moldovan broadcaster TeleRadio-Moldova (TRM) organised the national final Finala națională 2020 in order to select the Moldovan entry for the 2020 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. 34 entries competed to represent Moldova in Rotterdam, with 20 being shortlisted to participate in the televised national final which took place on 29 February 2020 after auditioning in front of a jury panel. "Prison" performed by Natalia Gordienko emerged as the winner after gaining the most points following the combination of votes from a jury panel and a public televote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prison (Natalia Gordienko song)</span> 2020 single by Natalia Gordienko

"Prison" is a 2020 single by Moldovan singer Natalia Gordienko. The song was originally scheduled to represent Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 after winning Finala națională 2020, Moldova's national final. However, the contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moldova participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "Sugar" written by Dimitris Kontopoulos, Philipp Kirkorov, Mikhail Gutseriyev and Sharon Vaughn. The song was performed by Natalia Gordienko, who was internally selected in January 2021 by the Moldovan broadcaster TeleRadio-Moldova (TRM) to represent the nation at the 2021 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Songwriter Philipp Kirkorov represented Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995 with the song "Kolybelnaya dlya vulkana" where he placed seventeenth, while Natalia Gordienko had previously represented Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2006 together with Arsenium and Connect-R, placing twentieth with the song "Loca", and was due to compete in the 2020 contest with "Prison". The Moldovan song, "Sugar", was presented to the public on 4 March 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugar (Natalia Gordienko song)</span> 2021 song by Natalia Gordienko

"Sugar" is a song by Moldovan singer Natalia Gordienko. The song represented Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Moldova participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy, with the song "Trenulețul" performed by the band Zdob și Zdub and the Advahov Brothers. The Moldovan broadcaster TeleRadio-Moldova (TRM) selected the Moldovan entry for the 2022 contest by organising a live audition on 29 January 2022, where "Trenulețul" was selected by an expert jury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trenulețul</span> 2021 single by Zdob și Zdub and Frații Advahov

"Trenulețul" is a song by Moldovan folk punk band Zdob și Zdub and folk musicians Frații Advahov. The song represented Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022.

Romania participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, United Kingdom, with "D.G.T. " performed by Theodor Andrei. The Romanian broadcaster Televiziunea Română (TVR) organised the national final Selecția Națională 2023 in order to select the Romanian entry for the 2023 contest. Twelve entries were selected to compete in the national final on 11 February 2023 where "D.G.T. " performed by Theodor Andrei was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.

Moldova participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, United Kingdom, with "Soarele și luna" written by Pavel Parfeni, Andrei Vulpe and Iuliana Parfeni. The song was performed by Pasha Parfeni, who previously represented Moldova in 2012. The Moldovan broadcaster, TeleRadio-Moldova (TRM), organised the national final Etapa Națională2023 in order to select the Moldovan entry for the 2023 contest, with a combination of jury votes and public voting determining the winning entry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soarele și Luna</span> 2023 single by Pasha Parfeni

"Soarele și Luna" is a song by Moldovan singer-songwriter Pasha Parfeni, released on 19 January 2023. The song represented Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 after winning Etapa națională2023, the Moldavian national final for that year's Eurovision Song Contest.

Moldova participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö, Sweden, with "In the Middle" performed by Natalia Barbu. The Moldovan broadcaster, TeleRadio-Moldova (TRM), organised the national final Etapa națională2024 in order to select the Moldovan entry for the contest.

References

  1. ↑ Santos, Pedro (17 February 2024). "Natalia Barbu wins Moldova's Etapa Națională 2024 with "In the Middle"". Eurovision World. Archived from the original on 10 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  2. 1 2 Natalia Barbu (🇲🇩 Μολδαβία 2024, 2007) αποκλειστική συνέντευξη στο INFE Greece/Exclusive Interview (Video). 23 February 2024. Archived from the original on 11 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024– via YouTube.
  3. ↑ J, Tim (19 February 2024). "🇲🇩 Natalia Barbu to perform at Pre-Party ES 2024". That Eurovision Site. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  4. ↑ Hendryk, Tom (21 February 2024). "Moldova's Natalia Barbu confirmed for the London Eurovision Party 2024". Wiwibloggs . Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  5. ↑ "🇲🇩 Natalia Barbu to perform at Eurovision in Concert 2024". That Eurovision Site. 19 February 2024. Archived from the original on 1 April 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  6. ↑ "Wiwi Jury: Moldova's Natalia Barbu with "In The Middle"". Wiwibloggs . 21 April 2024. Archived from the original on 1 May 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  7. ↑ Vautrey, Jonathan (7 April 2024). "Eurovision 2024: Reviews and rankings by the Wiwi Jury". Wiwibloggs . Archived from the original on 1 May 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  8. ↑ O'Brien, Jon (6 May 2024). "Every 2024 Eurovision Song, Ranked". Vulture . Archived from the original on 7 May 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  9. 1 2 "Regulament cu privire la desfășurarea Selecției Naționale și desemnarea reprezentantului Republicii Moldova la concursul internațional Eurovision Song Contest 2024" [Regulation on how the National Selection and the designation of the representative of the Republic of Moldova at the international Eurovision Song Contest 2024 will be conducted](PDF). TeleRadio-Moldova (in Romanian). 22 November 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  10. 1 2 Farren, Neil (26 December 2023). "Moldova: Etapa Națională 2024 Audition Participants Revealed". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 26 December 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  11. ↑ Farren, Neil (13 January 2024). "Moldova: Etapa Națională 2024 Finalists Selected". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 9 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  12. ↑ "Etapa audițiilor live Eurovision 2024: punctajul acumulat de către concurenți" [The Eurovision 2024 live audition stage: the scores obtained by the contestants]. TeleRadio-Moldova (in Romanian). 17 January 2024. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  13. ↑ Vautrey, Jonathan (17 February 2024). "Natalia Barbu wins Etapa Nationala 2024 and will represent Moldova at Eurovision". Wiwibloggs . Archived from the original on 24 April 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  14. ↑ Stephenson, James (17 February 2024). "Moldova: Valeria Pasha Appeals Etapa Națională Results". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 19 February 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  15. ↑ Granger, Anthony (20 February 2024). "Moldova: TRM Responds to Valeria Pasha's Appeal Against the Etapa Națională Results". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 21 February 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  16. ↑ "Eurovision 2024: Semi-Final Draw results". Eurovision Song Contest . European Broadcasting Union. 30 January 2024. Archived from the original on 30 January 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  17. ↑ Granger, Anthony (12 April 2024). "Moldova: 'In The Middle' Undergoes Revamp". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 12 April 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  18. ↑ Adams, William Lee (26 March 2024). "Eurovision 2024 Semi-Final Running Order Revealed". Wiwibloggs . Archived from the original on 27 April 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  19. ↑ Farren, Neil (28 April 2024). "Moldova: All the Details About Natalia Barbu's First Rehearsal". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 29 April 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  20. ↑ "In the Middle - Single by Natalia Barbu". Apple Music (US). 19 January 2024. Archived from the original on 1 May 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.